English cricket 2015 - NZ, The Ashes, Pak and SA

Get the feck in! :D

Credit to Rash. Fragile middle order left him with too much to do.
 
Excellent and deserved win. Pakistan were the better team.

Great effort from England. Their middle order needs a change.
 
The more I think about it the more Buttler's presence in the team irritates me. He should never have been selected in the first place, because he is not either A) The best wicketkeeper in the country or B) the best batsman who happens to put on a pair of wicket keeping gloves when his team is fielding. He's an ordinary keeper and an ordinary longer format batsman who got promoted because of his potential. You shouldn't be playing test cricket on potential, you should be playing because you're the best your country has to offer, which he is in the shorter formats. I've got no problem giving players who have shown form in domestic cricket time to find their feet, because they've clearly shown they can do it (for example Bairstow) but picking a wicketkeeper who isn't known for being a very good wicketkeeper and who averages 30 in first class cricket and then wanting to drop them for not being a very good keeper and averaging 30 is stupid.

Anyway, I'd stick with Ali as an opener,; no point giving Hales one game and I don't think he'd do much better anyway. I'd also, unfortunately, stick with Bell because I don't trust anyone else apart from Taylor on the touring party and, to be fair to him, by averaging 40 he's been one of the least shit.

Cook, Ali, Bell, Root, Taylor, Bairstow, Stokes etc...
 
Such clueless approach from Pakistan. Azhar is the main batsman in the team, his position is at 3. You don't fecking tinker with your best players.

Also how Rahat gets the nod ahead of Junaid Khan is quite staggering. Pub player at best.
 
Giving away a wicket to Samit fecking Patel on the first day of a test match ffs.
 
Need Yasir & Babar to be on the money from the go.

Brilliant from Anderson & Broad.
 
No demons in the pitch, just incredibly stupid batting by Pakistan. With normal sensible batting England can easily pile on a lead of 200 and put this game to bed. This is NZ all over again, second time in a year that Pakistan are conceding a series win after a poor first innings at Sharjah.
 
Big wickets there after lunch. Come on Pakistan!
 
Samid said:
No demons in the pitch, just incredibly stupid batting by Pakistan. With normal sensible batting England can easily pile on a lead of 200 and put this game to bed. This is NZ all over again, second time in a year that Pakistan are conceding a series win after a poor first innings at Sharjah.
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This is not a 450 pitch (which is what you're implying with a 200 run lead). Dubai was a better batting pitch and England could only muster 240 and 312.

England need a 50 run lead for this to be close, batting last on here...oh my.
 
The Moeen opening experiment hasn't paid off. It made sense to get an extra spin bowler in with no outstanding alternative, but surely it will have to change against South Africa.
 
Need to restrict England to a lead of 80. Anything more than that & they'll win this match.
 
VanGaalEra said:
This is not a 450 pitch (which is what you're implying with a 200 run lead). Dubai was a better batting pitch and England could only muster 240 and 312.

England need a 50 run lead for this to be close, batting last on here...oh my.
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Pitch has done nothing all day and will remain the same for another day at least. Runs are hard to come by but only because the outfield is very slow. 450 would still have been very much on if Stokes was fit but being a batsman down 375 is what England should aim for.

Not fair to compare to the other tests either as England's batting line-up is comfortably better in this game than the previous games.
 
Bit disappointing that this is the England team most fans could have told you was the strongest batting line up and we've waited until going 1-0 down to see it.
 
Just had the misfortune of having to listen to Radio 4 commentary on the way home from work. What have they done? It's bloody awful.
 
This pitch has improved but if England have a 80-100+ run lead then they'll win. Pakistan will crumble under the pressure.
 
I think that's a good effort by Pakistan. Anything more and England would definitely be in the driving seat.

Our top-3 have to make a big score. Can't afford to rely on just Younis & Misbah, but we'll probably have to. I'd say 280+ on this wicket with the spinners will be a decent score to set.
 
Rolandofgilead said:
Shame we didn't report the blatant time wasting that cost is the first test....
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Let's not act like England wouldn't have done the same.

Remember the Ashes 2009, 1st test at Cardiff, England's 12th man kept running on after every over to waste time. Needless to say England stayed 9 down and regained the Ashes as they didn't lose that test.
 
Pakistan fecking up an excellent start like only Pakistan can. Need to set a target of at least 250.
 
England back in it. Stupid malik has been useless with the bat after his first knock.
 
ha_rooney said:
England back in it. Stupid malik has been useless with the bat after his first knock.
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You guys better hope his 250 knock doesn't guarantee him a playing spot in the tours ahead. I think Pakistan you've got some real tough tours coming up.
 
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